The Way of the Samurai
by Master Huytin
Summary: Cat is a young girl who is pretending to be a male ronin: a samurai without a master. Join her as she embarks to save her prince Shawn, and the kingdom of Japan along with it! A Medieval Japan AU. Cat x Shawn, but this is NOT a romance story. An AI Football GGO Story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- This one's a bit of a fresh style of story. Cat is my protagonist here- after all, I normally meme her a bit in the stories. This one is going to be heavily plot-based, as opposed to my usual fics.**

**Community: let's keep going at it! We are nearly at 40; it is possible to crack 50 by the end of October!**

**Anyway, enjoy! **

It was a golden period for Medieval Japan. The Emperor was having a stable reign, the people were in good harmony, the martial arts were flourishing and, most of, all, the heir to the throne, Prince Shawn, was showing himself to be the most sage and commanding character Japan had ever seen. He would go through many villages, and both poor and rich would laud him and give him respect no other leader could ever garner. He gave them hope, and _most_ evil in Japan had either fled or been converted by the prospects of such a strong leader coming to power.

Meanwhile, a young ronin was roaming the land. The ronin was just checking into a geisha, where a lead had been raised, hoping to arrest the enemy.

"Hello, young man. First time around? Don't be shy! We will choose you some very beautiful women!"

"...No, that won't be necessary. Is Lord Hiten here?"

"Oh, him? He visits nearly every day; he should be here right now, probably with Sister Yuya. Check in Chamber 569."

"Thank you."

The ronin walked into the corridor which had rooms 500-600 as the sign. The place sure was big, the ronin thought. But then again, it was the biggest geisha in the country, so perhaps it was not so much a surprise.

But anyway, the mission was to kill Lord Hiten. Hiten was rumoured to be extremely corrupt, denying the laws instigated by Prince Shawn, and having supposedly a whole cohort of slaves- among which there were at least 70 children. The ronin would not stand for any abuse to the legacy of Shawn, and of course, it was even worse considering the situation.

People like Lord Hiten had mostly dissappeared from Japan since Shawn had become a prominent figure in Japanese politics. So it was strange to see people as bold as Hiten around. And what was worse, the ronin had already killed seven high-rank officials like him in the last fortnight. The number was strange, and it felt like a storm was building up. But, no time to think about that; the ronin glanced at the door sign. _569_.

The ronin entered.

"Hey, who are you?!" Luckily, it seemed that Lord Hiten had just arrived, and nothing weird was happening. Without warning, the ronin strode up in three quick steps to Hiten, drawing his weapon, and held it to his throat.

"You see that window? If you try and make any sound out of place this club will crush your throat. They probably won't hear you, and I will escape out of this window for good measure. Sister Yuya, I recommend you to listen to this as well, for at least Lord Hiten is a warrior trained in the noble arts; you will be able to do nothing. If you blindfold yourself, plug your ears and turn away facing the wall, I will leave you alone."

The two were nervous. But it was different for the two of them. Hiten was well involved with these kind of happenings, and was sweating profusely. However, his breath and stance were relatively steady, compared with the inexperienced Yuya, whose legs shook and wobbled as she anxiously fumbled with the lace of the blindfold. The ronin knew that Yuya would listen to every word like they were the words of 'God', but Hiten would escape if the ronin was not careful.

"Okay, Hiten, you can answer me. Cut the crap though." the ronin said, tightening the club against the Lord's throat, and continuing.

"What are your motivations for doing this?" the ronin asked. Lord Hiten looked worried, but he tried his hand anyway.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about" the ronin sighed, and moved the club up so the spikes were lined against Hiten's throat.

"Tell me." Hiten swallowed, and then scowled.

"Before that _brat_ came along, my region had great power."

"Pfff. Power which came from terrorizing civilians and making your own people your slaves. It was not _your region's _power. It was just yours."

"What would you know, boy? You're just one of Prince Shawn's pampered dogs, who think they can ride the moral high horse into battle. You don't know how the world works, you ignorant!"

"No! You don't know how the world works! And you have NO right to criticise our Prince!"

"Yeah, well, you can kill me today. Like Bushin, Kaara, Homuki, Setoshi, Teraki, Guribo, Rannen and Nikete were killed. Perhaps you were the one who killed them. But no matter what you do, a storm is brewing. A storm that you weaklings cannot defend. The kingdom will fall. The Prince will die!"

The ronin sighed. The Lord was clearly not going to give anything else- as if the information he had given had not already been so frightening- and would have to be killed. The ronin was not one to engage in torture.

So the ronin let the club leave the man's throat for a second, swung it high, bringing it down straight onto his skull. The man clunked to the floor in a pool of blood. But it appeared he wasn't dead yet.

"W-who a-are you…" The ronin sighed.

"I am... The Cat."

Cat watched as Hiten's eyes widened in shock, then sunk back into his skull. He was dead.

**/**

"So they are preparing a coup?" Cat watched as her sensei, Betty, made the last adjustments and prepared the food as they prepared to leave.

"Yeah. I must save the Prince." Betty sighed at Cat's reply.

"I don't understand your devotion to him, but I know I can't stop you. So, you're going to dress up like a man again? Why don't you just try and get to him as a geisha?" Betty laughed at Cat's red face.

"IT'S N-NOT LIKE THAT… I don't want to- to do anything like that with him… although I would if he would like to… ANYWAY! THE PRINCE WOULD NEVER GET WITH A GEISHA! HE IS TOO HONOURABLE!"

Yes, any observer would be able to tell that Cat had a very, very large crush on Prince Shawn. But she was a samurai at heart, and a commoner too, so she decided to forever serve him faithfully instead of pursuing the romance, with the secret hope that he would one day acknowledge her.

"OK, OK! Anyway, you're right. Screw all those misogynistic pigs who say women can't be warriors."

Cat smirked, retorting, "Ha! Not like they can beat us anyway." Betty smirked as well, but suddenly there was a silence. This was farewell, and they had been together for so long; Cat owed so much to her sensei.

Betty had taken her in when she was orphaned at the age of five, teaching her how to fend for herself and survive. She had then later taught her the martial arts, when Cat, who had seen Shawn's entourage passing, became suddenly enamored with him and determined to be a strong soldier. She had taken her up Mount Fuji to get her beloved weapon, The Cactus, forged.

But, most importantly, Betty had shown her something else. As one of the most revered but cryptic samurai in the country, she had immense respect, but only because she masqueraded under a male name. But she was proud of her gender- not marrying any men because they were 'too weak'- and taught Cat that women could be great warriors too.

So, as they prepared to part after a decade of close, close affiliation, Cat felt like she was losing a mother and a sister at the same time. She could not help herself, and in the silence a tear escaped her eye. But Betty wiped it away.

"Don't cry, girl! We will see each other again- you just focus on saving Shawn, and I will look for my brother Coleman. This is not goodbye, only a 'see you later'."

But her voice quavered at the end, and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. The two women embraced, with tears spilling, and hugged for a while, albeit smiling. After a while, they broke apart.

"See you soon, sen- no, mom." Betty seemed surprised at Cat calling her that, but quickly recovered and grinned back.

"See you soon, daughter. Give those bad guys hell, and save your prince in distress."

And with that, they both went their opposite ways, waving back at each other for as long as they could. Cat walked until she came to an inn. Making sure she had her disguise on, she walked in, glancing at the housekeeper.

"Sir, the palace of Prince Shawn is up this way, yes?"

"Correct. But it is far, and there are still bandits everywhere. A young lad like you cannot make the journey alone. You'll need a good samurai to protect you."

Cat smirked secretly, continuing, knowing well that it would be a piece of cake for someone trained like Betty had trained her.

"No problem sir. I know a good samurai. Can I get a room?"

"Yep. Name?"

"Nekonita Hazama."

"Nekonita? That's a weird name."

"My parents are sea-merchants from the faraway port of Okinawa." Cat knew the lie like the back of her hand.

"Ah ok. Is that 'neko' as in 'cat'?"

"Yes."

"Okay, Room 5 is yours. Please feel free to use the baths and come down to dinner later."

"Thank you." Cat walked to her room, and entered. It was quite nice actually. She unwrapped her Kanabo (**A/N- a Japanese spiked club - best that one searches it up to see**), Cactus and laid it on her bed. She lay down to take a nap. She would go to dinner later. And the following day, she would embark on a quest to save her Prince, and probably the rest of Japan along with him.


	2. Chapter 2- Thieves!

**Chapter 2- Thieves!**

**A/N- My first update! Master Huytin wrote something without focusing on story count? What?!**

**That is so sad this is not even funny. I genuinely have nearly ten fat multi-chap projects. What am I gonna do?**

The next day, Cat woke up early and set off for the Palace of Prince Shawn. She would have to take the mountain path- but that would be fine. She concealed The Cactus, knowing that she might have to take some very impure blood which should not adorn her great weapon, and went drew out the katana she had purchased from a boy the previous day. She would use it if necessary. But it probably wouldn't be- she was planning to practise some new fist forms she had developed, and so would be fighting any bandits bare-handed.

Thus, climbing up the slope to the mountain paths (she had decided to not take a horse, as she could travel faster by foot), she began the journey. After reaching the forest, she niftily jumped up onto the boughs of a tree, and began to scamper across the canopy. She grimaced as she saw the body of a teenage boy lying down below her in a pool of blood. He had clearly been trying to escape some pursuers- as shown by his worn-down shoes and little baggage- and had been brutally skewered by a large spear. She narrowed her eyes at the scene. Such spears were uncommon in Japan, and it would take an unusual amount of strength to hurl something like it.

So, she decided to descend down to look further. She jumped down from the trees, landing perfectly and with as little sound as a mouse. As she moved in closer, a smell hit her nose which she had not been expecting. She knelt gently, and took a sample of the blood with two fingers.

Fresh. Very fresh. He had been killed no more than two hours ago. His red uniform had concealed to her how fresh the blood was, but she was sure of it now. And the spear tip was coated with a strange green liquid. She sniffed it, and wiped it onto a nearby flower. The flower immediately crumpled and imploded, curling up pitifully, and turning brown.

_Hell's Liquor_

Only one poison could do that. It was greatly feared and extremely hard to get hold of- so expensive that even Black Market merchants would have a huge risk of death by robbery if they sold any. And the throw was done perfectly. It had pierced him straight through the heart. It must be the work of a skilled assassin, she realised quickly…

She caught the arrow headed towards her back. Some of the assassins were still here. In the corner of her eye, she saw some movement. She sighed, and went on her haunches, releasing in an explosive leap towards the criminal. He tried to fight back, but in one fell swoop she employed her Cactus Punch, and crushed his skull. She saw two more assailants, still holding their bows, and as they approached her with daggers, she did a splits kick and knocked them out. She walked to their bodies, and quickly snapped their necks.

But there was someone escaping. He chose that moment to move, and Cat just dodged as a huge spear came whistling past her, nearly grazing her on the cheek. She cursed, as there was more Hell's Liquor on its tip, but pursued him quickly. One jump took her straight above the head assassin, and she dropped down on him. He rolled out the way, and threw a dart at her. This time she dodged it cleanly, before taking out her katana and charging at him. The man, who was built like a giant, brought out his own sword- a three-foot long Odachi- and tried to decapitate her. She ducked, and then thrusted forwards with her katana. Her opponent had to twist his body awkwardly to avoid being stabbed, but he still got cut on his ribs.

Cat rolled sideways as the Odachi came swinging down again, and low but powerful whistle resounding as it parted the air. She swung her body in a round cut, which was blocked by the Odachi. Then came a hurricane of slashes. _Clang_. _Swoosh. _

She smacked. He parried. He swung at her head. She ducked. Finally, she saw her chance. Her opponent was swinging his Odachi down, but had been thrown out of balance just then, so she decided to use a teaching from Miyamoto Musashi.

_To apply stickiness._

She parried his strike, and locked her blade with his. He tried to pull back, but her left uppercut was already swinging towards his jaw. His helmet clanged, echoing, and he swung on the spot, dazed. Cat, in that moment, disarmed him and knocked the blade on his head in one fell swoop. He fell to the floor, groaning. She wasted no time in thrusting a dagger under his chin.

"Who sent you?"

"...Kill me." The reply was faint and hoarse because of the pressure on his throat, but Cat could hear the resolve behind it. She sighed, tightening the blade enough to draw blood.

"Who sent you? Don't think I can't torture you first." Cat bluffed, knowing well that she would not torture him, but having a feeling somehow that it was an important piece of information.

"I said, I will not tell you. But, I can tell you one thing... _the Cat_. There is a storm brewing, and it will knock those soft-hearted failures of emperors straight off the pedestal and into a pool of blood. It can no longer be stopped, and even idiots like you and, what's the name… oh, _The Baker, _cannot, and will not be able to fight back. Chivalry is for fools. You will be slaughtered by our combined forces, and the capital will fall like the East fell to the Mongol warriors. Rape, Death, Plundering: we experienced warriors may frown on it, but if they fulfil the revolution, I am sure we will turn a blind eye to the… less civilised ranks. So, young warrior, I advise you to run while you still can. We will have that disgusting Prince Shawn's head on a-" The knife rammed into his jugular, killing him instantly. Cat's hands trembled in annoyance. At least she already had a feeling who had sent the assassin.

You see Hell's Liquor was only grown in one place. And that place, or prefecture, was only ruled by one person.

_Daimyo Chottu of the Nobarashi Prefecture._

She went to the corpse. As she expected, he was a young royal retainer. She saw something poking out of place. It was a letter, now blotched with blood. She read the name, and shook her head in sadness when she saw that it was addressed to a lover- probably a girl who would never see her betrothed again, waiting, perhaps with an unborn child, for a young man who had been so brutally skewered by the spear.

_Dear Sana,_

_I love you, and our little one who is soon to be born. How is she? Are you feeling better now? I am glad now that it seems that I will be home soon._

_We have completed our mission today. Commander Karl and Commander Timmy have said that we must rush back as soon as possible. We have found valuable information. Prince Shawn sent us primarily in order to track the illegal shipments which Commander Timmy had suspected on his reports, and we have found that it seems like organised groups are working together under the guise of leading prefectures._

Cat sighed. It wasn't criminals hiding under the name. It was the name fostering criminals. So it appeared that famous commanders like Karl and Shawn weren't completely blind.

_Anyway, we are now crossing the mountains. All will be well, I think, as we are all capable warriors, so the regular bandits will not be able to cause us any problems. Commander Karl and Timmy seem worried though. I keep catching them looking back behind us as if watching for some malign signs. I don't know why though. Our route is through established areas like the Nobarashi Prefecture. Surely they do not think that Chottu would try and harm us-_

The rest was covered in blood. Cat sighed and bowed her head in respect. Then she moved her head up to the horizon, looking at the fresh wheel tracks and hoofprints in the bloody earth.

It seemed like she had a Head of the Military Scouts and Chief of Military Provisions to catch. No doubt there were more assassins up ahead. She hoped this young soul would be the last to die, but she wasn't sure of it.


End file.
